"Outsider" in Maine? (Presque Isle, Caribou: school, living in, move to)

[southerngirl64]

You know I just have to respond to this thread. Maine is a beautiful state. I love the country atmosphere and the wildlife. BUT if you are not from Maine good luck. To share a brief history my husband was born and raised in Maine. The family was one of the original ones. He moved away. We moved here. We still have a child in school.

The area is economically repressed. Housing has gone up to compete with the rest of the country but the work here can't keep up with prices. Gas prices are outrageous. Variety is non exsistent.

AND the people do NOT like strangers. Over and over again a newcomer will hear "Who are your people?" It is a loaded question that you have to be very careful how you answer. In the very small town that I am in people have refused to sell property if you aren't properly connected. I am sorry but the honesty factor that I have heard when people speak of the the County is missing in the folks I have encountered.

I am appalled at the school system here. If you have school age children I would not put them into school in Northern Aroostook County. On the surface it looks good to have really small classes but atleast in the school system that my child is in they are unable to deal with children who are gifted or need special attention. They do have the laptop program and that seems to work well. The teaching staff is very nice and personally I have no problem with the people. They just do not satisfy the needs of all the students. Wait for the consolidation of the small school systems and then try if you are set on moving up into the "County".

Something else to consider is the availibility of medical and dental care. Since there are no dental schools in Maine there is a shortage of dentists. The dentists I have checked with in Northern Aroostook County have not been accepting new patients for a while. Also getting into a regular doctor is not easy. Consider also if you have chronic medical treatment that requires specialist care expect to travel to Bangor or Portland or even Boston for treatment. The MDs that are here I have no problem with. There just isn't very many.

Our time here has been a nightmare that just doesn't want to end.

Just do your homework before moving. If you are interested in Northern Aroostook County try Presque Isle or Caribou. I'd be very cautious moving to any of the little towns like New Sweden, Washburn, Woodland, Stockholm, Ft. Kent or Madawaska. Their societies are very narrow minded.

I am sorry if this post sounds negative. It is not intended to and I do apologize if anyone is offended. That is not my intent. I just think anyone moving up here needs to really do the research and make sure they are making the right move. There are a lot of things that we don't always consider before making major changes in life.

But it is awfully pretty in the late spring/early summer. That is after the mud season and black fly season.

[mollysmiles]

SG64,
I feel bad you're so unhappy up there. I know it can't be easy at all, and probably worse if you have kids. If you get a chance to come to Washington County come on down....we'll be nice to you!

[Elcarim]

Sounds like typical small country-town life USA. We didn't experience that attitude anywhere along the coast, even up through Acadia. The people were the very first thing we fell in love with.

[igiggigi]

I've recently moved here from Ohio, haven't had any problems!

[forest beekeeper]

This is our second year in Maine. So far we have not seen anything, to prevent anyone from moving here.

The people are great, the schools are okay. Everything is fine. [so far]

[southerngirl64]

Molly thanks for the offer!
For everyone else I am very glad you have had no problems because I do think that Maine is a beautiful state. There are issues everywhere and my situation could be isolated (I truly hope that it is but I am doubtful) or it could have been as simple as this was the wrong place for my family to move.

There are things though that people should check out before moving to any area. If you have children that will be entering school you may need to dig a little to find out about the school system. The issue with the school I have only became more apparent the more involved I got with it. Issues with local government also were not obvious until I became involved in things. The deeper I got the more issues I saw.

Please don't misunderstand me. Aroostook County needs new people. They just need to do research before making the move. But I would recommend that for a move to any new area.

[dreamdust37]

Hi all, I have lived in Maine all of my life and have loved it. I am near the lakes region.
Small town with a friendly down home atmosphere. We have many town functions where the whole town gets involved. Our schools have computers, Big art programs, Gifted and Talented programs, Science programs, Search programs, Many things to offer children. PLUS a HUGE PLAYGROUND..
Our Fire Dept is looking for more workers, We have a huge state of the art Fire Dept, " Maybe trying to sell you on my small town" hahaha.
Many of my neighbors are from other states we all fit right in.
I am sorry to hear about Tarastomsgirl Husband, This has to be rare. Not sure why a town would do that. This should have never happened.
But this said please dont make a opinion on every small town town in Maine.
I do take offense to the in~bred remark.
Just because people are ignorant doesnt mean Mainer's marry our relatives..Hmmm.. Ignorance is marked in every part of the world. Its a fear of change that makes one ignorant...
God Bless and the best of luck in your search, I hope you find what you are looking for Audry524

[dreamdust37]

Hi again,
I wanted to correct my inbred remark as i thought i was following up on it. I am new to this and didnt realize it would be posted here. I hope you all understand why i had remarked..

[southerngirl64]

Originally Posted by rabbitlover

New Sweden IS a weird town, but not all towns,. in Maine, are like New Sweden.

This is very true. BUT check out the other towns in the "Swedish Colony". They are very close.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by southerngirl64

...
There are things though that people should check out before moving to any area. If you have children that will be entering school you may need to dig a little to find out about the school system. The issue with the school I have only became more apparent the more involved I got with it.

We love Old Town high school!

We came here directly from Norwich Conn, HUGE schools, thousands of children in each freshman class. Rapes, stabbings, drugs, pregnancies, and then all the problems off campus.

We have found wonderful schools here so far.

Our previous school was the NATO school at Naples Italy, it was medium sized, I doubt if there were more than a thousand kids per freshman class. Though we dealt more with the elementary school there.

Granted Old Town has been in the process of budget cutting, and various programs are shutting down. But how many swim coaches do you need? Plus a separate diving coach? Our youngest son is in ROTC, and he is on the track team. Bigger schools have more competition, so fewer kids get to actually be on any team.

... They just need to do research before making the move. But I would recommend that for a move to any new area.

Having been career military, I have moved a few times. You really do not NEED to do all that much research, just a little.